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On February 14, 2018, a horrific school shooting took place at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. A total of 17 people were killed and many more wounded in one of the most deadly shootings to ever occur in the United States. As a result, many schools across the United States organized a walkout to raise awareness and inspire a political movement. Central was one of the schools that participated.

The walkout lasted for seventeen minutes and featured photographs of all of the victims. Each minute signified each individual victim. During this time, students signed their condolences on banners that would later be sent to Stoneman Douglas High School. Shortly after, Jake Johns, Central’s junior class president, gave a speech in hopes of enlightening such a mournful time. In this speech, he outlined his ideas for students to pay more attention to the others around them, and pushed for change to be made to prevent acts like this from happening in the future.

“I believe that it’s time for change. When children become leaders and leaders become children then you know change is coming,” explained Johns

Johns also believes that the government should regulate the access to guns in the United States.

“Gun laws need to be looked over. People in the wrong mental state should not have the access to any type of weapon, and it should be more difficult to purchase a weapon. Some are protecting their guns rather than the children of their country,” articulated Johns.

Though change will not be made immediately, students are taking charge and moving towards change.